Nationwide, COVID-19 cases have decreased 52 percent over the last two weeks, with only one state still reporting rising daily cases, according to The New York Times.
Category: Public Health
New York City’s COVID-19 mystery
Scientists in New York City have repeatedly detected “cryptic lineages” of the coronavirus in wastewater samples for the past year, The New York Times reported Feb. 3.
Immunity from omicron ‘not that durable,’ Gottlieb says
Millions of Americans contracted COVID-19 amid the omicron-driven surge, spurring hope that national immunity would shore up and help prevent additional surges in the future. However, infection-induced immunity from omicron may not persist long enough …
A Disabled Activist Speaks Out About Feeling ‘Disposable’
Alice Wong, a writer and organizer in San Francisco, says the isolation and loss of the pandemic have shown society what it’s like to be disabled.
Radio waves may be source of some ‘Havana Syndrome’ cases, panel says
A panel of experts assembled by the Biden Administration found not all cases of “Havana Syndrome” — a mysterious illness first identified in 2016 — could be explained by stress or psychosomatic reactions. The panel concluded some incidents could have b…
Nasal COVID-19 vaccines may make better boosters, experts say
Nasal vaccines may serve better as a COVID-19 booster than current shots because they offer protection in the mucosal linings of the airway, where the coronavirus first lands, The New York Times reported Feb. 2.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Paging the HHS Secretary
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is drawing criticism for his hands-off handling of the covid crisis even though the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and FDA report to him. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor looks to enforce mental health “parity laws” that have failed to achieve their goals. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Noam N. Levey, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a large emergency room bill for a small amount of medical care.
Omicron subvariant makes up .3% of positive COVID-19 tests, Walgreens says
The omicron subvariant BA.2 accounts for a tiny portion of positive COVID-19 cases identified through testing at Walgreens locations nationwide, according to the Walgreens COVID-19 Index.
US may see up to 76,000 more COVID-19 deaths through February: CDC
Even as nationwide COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations begin to fall, deaths are on the rise. CDC data shows the nation’s pandemic death toll was nearly 889,000 as of Feb. 3, and up to 76,000 more deaths could occur in the worst-case scenario by the en…
Pandemic-Fueled Shortages of Home Health Workers Strand Patients Without Necessary Care
Home health and hospice agencies are experiencing extreme worker shortages, which means they can’t provide services to all the patients seeking care.
